


There's a Time For Everything

by Amethystina



Category: The Losers (2010)
Genre: And have spent a fair share of years apart, But love conquers all, Jensen in a full beard is hot, M/M, So is Cougar with graying temples, They're older though, This is pure fluff, rawr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 05:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4991752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethystina/pseuds/Amethystina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cougar never thought that he and Jensen would drift apart — the very idea seemed preposterous — but he had clearly underestimated what the passing of time could accomplish. Before he knows it, nine years have gone by, and he has started to forget what Jensen's smile looks like. </p><p>So Cougar decides to visit. He knows that he can't expect things to be as they were nine years ago, but he can't help hoping that he'll at least get another chance to tell Jensen that he loves him.</p><p>Cougar is done living with regret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's a Time For Everything

**Author's Note:**

> I received an anonymous prompt over at Tumblr asking for post-movie, older!Jensen with a full beard (the one we all love and adore on Chris Evans), and older!Cougar’s reaction to it, when they meet again after some time apart. Like always with me, there wasn't a whole lot about the beard because I got distracted by the fluff. Yeah. Sorry. It's just that I've always wanted to write about these two when they're older and I just couldn't resist.
> 
> This was written back in February but has gotten a slight makeover since then. I am really fond of it, and I hope you'll like it too, my lovelies <3

 

Cougar hadn't really allowed himself to consider what it would feel like to see Jensen again, after so many years apart. Mostly because he still wasn't sure what he felt about them having gone their separate ways after Max was finally dead — Clay and Aisha went down with Max, while Cougar nearly lost an arm in the process. The old injury still hurt from time to time and the scarring on his bicep was hideous to look at, but he was grateful to be alive.

As much as he mourned the loss of their commanding officer — and the ally they had found in Aisha, volatile as she might have been — Cougar felt ashamed over how lucky he considered himself to be, to have been spared a similar fate. He knew that Pooch and Jensen felt the same.

Pooch's relief was understandable because he had Jolene and his baby boy to think of. He deserved to be happy with his family. Jensen had Jess and Beth and, quite frankly, too much life in him for it to be anything but a tragedy if he died that early — or because of something as foul as Max's evil schemes.

And Cougar?

Well, he had his own family. It took years for the tension to fade and everything to be sorted out and properly addressed and discussed, but he was grateful for having gotten that part of his life back. Sure, he lived under a false name — courtesy of Jensen and his intimidating prowess when it came to infiltrating government databases — and had to be careful with who he talked and when he visited said family, but he was alive.

He made do.

After everything was said and done — Cougar released from the hospital after the final showdown and discreet funerals held for the fallen — the three of them went their separate ways. If Cougar was to be honest, he thought it would only be a temporary thing. He understood that they all needed some distance from each other to mourn the loss of their friends, and to deal with the fact that what they had been chasing desperately for over two years was finally handled. But he hadn't for a second thought that they wouldn't still keep in touch.

And sure, in a way they did.

Cougar let the other two know where he lived, so Pooch could send Christmas cards and photos of the big, happy family he was building with Jolene. It made Cougar smile to see how well things were going for Pooch, since he had always been the one who least deserved the shit with Max. Pooch had morals and a sense of virtue that made him not only a nice person, but a _good_ one — and that was increasingly rare.

In return for the family photos Cougar sent postcards from the towns and countries he visited. He didn't always write much on them — mostly just a hastily scribbled sentence about something he had seen — but he liked to think that it offered Pooch some comfort to know that Cougar was still out there, alive and well.

Cougar also received emails from Jensen, although they became less and less frequent as the years passed. Mostly because Cougar never quite found the words with which to reply, and after almost ten years with only short, stray responses from Cougar even Jensen must have started to take it as a sign that they were unwanted. In reality, those emails were something Cougar looked forward to with almost embarrassing enthusiasm; more often than not, they were the highlight of his day.

Jensen sent him pictures of Beth with such regularity that Cougar saw her grow up almost as if he had been there with them, trying not to admit just how much he wished he had been. He was told about Jensen's breakthroughs when it concerned his programming and several of the minor and seemingly trivial details from his everyday life. But they weren't trivial to Cougar. His chest always ached with bittersweet fondness when he read those emails, because it reminded him of what it had been like to be in Jensen's presence and listen to him talk enthusiastically about everything that crossed his mind.

The emails made him miss Jensen so much it actually hurt.

Not that Cougar was surprised. Jensen would always be incredibly dear to him, to the point where he couldn't quite imagine his world without him, even if it was just the occasional email here and there.

At one point in their lives, Cougar had even thought that Jensen might be _the_ one, but neither of them had acted on it. They had never said the words out loud or taken that final step in order to explore the tension between them. It had just remained there — a sizzling, breathless longing and a deep, aching affection that was too complex to be put into words — but nothing happened. All the anticipation and slowly building awareness of each other never led to anything.

And once they split up, they seemed to drift apart.

It wasn't anyone's fault. Their years in the Army and the hunt for Max were finished chapters in their lives, and while Cougar mourned what he had lost — sometimes he didn't even want to acknowledge just how much he missed Jensen — he still got by. He knew that Jensen did too.

Maybe it just wasn't meant to be — maybe _they_ weren't meant to be.

Cougar had learned to accept that, no matter how much it hurt some days. But he couldn't help but wonder what things would have been like, if he had dared to kiss Jensen when they had said goodbye after Clay and Aisha's funerals. But he hadn't seriously thought that it would end there. He had thought that he would get more chances to decide whether he wanted to act on his feelings or not — because he always did. It just seemed preposterous that he wouldn't. How could he possibly end up in a position where he hadn't met Jensen face to face in years?

But he had.

He took Jensen for granted, and Cougar lost his chance.

He had received offers to visit, of course, but never a set date. That had been a mistake, because when neither of them made an actual decision weeks turned into months, which flowed just as easily into years; time slipping away from them without either of them really noticing.

Suddenly, Cougar had to face the fact that he couldn't even remember what Jensen's skin smelled like, or the exact cadence of his voice. He had pictures to remember Jensen's face by — even if he hadn't gotten a new one in about three years — but the tiny, delicate details were lost to him.

The memory of sleeping warm and secure next to Jensen during missions was faded and hazy. He couldn't remember the sound of Jensen's rhythmic breaths or the steady beat of his heart, when Cougar couldn't help reaching out across the narrow distance between them, just to feel it against his fingertips. Just to reassure himself that Jensen was still there, undeniably alive.

All of that was lost, and Cougar told himself that was fine — he couldn't have kept it forever anyway.

They all had new lives now.

Jensen lived a few towns over from Jess and Beth — to be able to visit them as often as possible — and worked at a computer store just for fun. He had already earned enough money from the various software programs and games he had created to last him about three lifetimes.

Pooch had settled down with Jolene, kept safe through whatever fake papers Jensen was able to provide, and was the proud owner of his own workshop. Pooch would never stop loving cars, it seemed. From what Cougar could gather Pooch, Jolene, and their three kids were incredibly happy and content with their lives.

Cougar was the most restless in comparison. Sure, he had an apartment not too far from his family, but spent a lot of his time traveling, seeing sights he hadn't been able to before.

Visiting Peru as a tourist was quite different from doing so as a Spec Ops operative.

Still, he couldn't complain. He had his family, wasn't without company if he so desired, and he knew that Pooch and Jensen were happy. What more could he ask for?

Deep down, though, he knew that he wasn't okay with the state of things between him and Jensen. He told himself that it was expected for them to be less involved in each other's lives after so many years apart, but some part of him just couldn't accept that. He couldn't forget or let go.

He wasn't entirely sure why else he suddenly decided to visit without as much as a word of warning, after so many years of postponing it. There were no epiphanies involved or sudden changes in Cougar's everyday life that motivated him. He just woke up one morning and decided that before the day was over he better be on his way to visit Jensen, no matter what it took.

It wasn't even difficult. Fact was, ordering the ticket and packing his bag was so embarrassingly easy that Cougar felt guilty for having waited so long.

Why hadn't he done this sooner? Why hadn't he tried to maintain contact? Why hadn't he made an effort? Jensen had, with every single one of his emails. Cougar was the one who hadn't replied and been too evasive to decide, once and for all, that it was time to visit.

And he couldn't even say why.

But maybe that was a lie too. Because deep down, he knew, and he had ample time to explore his reasons during the hours he spent on the plane.

He feared that when they finally met, things would feel different. He was afraid to find that after nine years Jensen had found a life that Cougar didn't fit into, or that he would be nothing more than an inconvenient reminder of a past that Jensen wanted to forget. It was silly to think that way — Cougar was levelheaded enough to know that Jensen was far too loyal and kind to abandon him — but just because he knew something didn't make it easier for his heart to accept.

He was terrified of the thought of facing Jensen and feeling like he was standing in front of a stranger. So much had changed since they parted ways that he couldn't possibly expect things between them to be the same. He just couldn't.

They had regular lives now, separate from each other. Jensen was filthy rich but pretended that he wasn't. Beth was nineteen and in college. Cougar's hair was beginning to gray at the temples, and he hadn't even _held_ a rifle in six years — which came as quite a shock once he realized it.

Everything was different now, so logic dictated that things should be between him and Jensen too.

They weren't.

As soon as Cougar stepped inside the computer store where Jensen worked and caught sight of him, two aisles down talking to a customer, Cougar's heart squeezed from longing. The fondness blossomed to life so effortless and eagerly that it felt as if the past nine years hadn't even happened. But the yearning also felt noticeably different. It was calmer, for one, and more about stability and belonging than pure lust or a fleeting infatuation.

Maybe his emotions had matured in time with him, but all Cougar knew for sure was that he still loved him. He loved Jensen with all his heart and while his feelings might have been dormant the past couple of years, it didn't take much for them to rush to the forefront again. To see Jensen grin and gesture as he spoke — less animatedly than before, granted, but still in his characteristic manner — inevitably made Cougar smile.

God, how he had missed him.

Jensen looked different. His hair was longer and darker, his clothes were less colorful — but the print on his t-shirt was still sneakily geeky — and he sported a full beard rather than the goatee he'd had before. Cougar couldn't deny that the last details was a lot more appealing than he thought it would be.

Jensen looked _good_ with a beard — almost stunningly so, in fact.

Other things were the same. He still had round glasses and he was still incapable of buying t-shirts that could contain the frankly ridiculous size of his biceps. His eyes were still brilliantly blue and Cougar felt the restlessness within him settle when he heard Jensen laugh. He looked older, of course — anyone would after nine years — but if anything he was more handsome and attractive than ever before.

Or maybe Cougar was just partial and slightly awestruck that he was there in the first place, drifting closer but without wanting to interrupt Jensen while he was working.

That plan didn't work out all that well when Jensen glanced to the side — obviously still reflexively aware of his surroundings after his years of military service — and their gazes locked. For a second, Cougar held his breath, seeing Jensen's expression freeze in place, either from shock or something a whole lot less flattering. Cougar felt a fleeting lash of panic, wondering if he had made a mistake by coming, but he quickly shoved it down.

He was too old for those kinds of doubts.

Finally, Jensen's expression changed.

Cougar hadn't thought that Jensen's smile could possibly get any wider or his eyes any brighter, but once the surprise had settled his face cracked up into the biggest, happiest grin Cougar had ever been the cause or recipient of. Jensen looked absolutely euphoric — like he had just been given the keys to heaven itself.

"Holy _shit_! Cougar!" Jensen completely abandoned the startled-looking customer in favor of making a beeline for Cougar. "I can't believe it's you!"

Cougar didn't actually have time to reply before he was enveloped into a warm, enthusiastic hug that bordered on painful, not only because of how desperately Jensen clung to him, but for how much Cougar had missed it. He had honestly forgotten how grounding and safe Jensen's hugs felt — how he could envelop you entirely and make the entire world halt, just for a brief second, so that he could hold and shelter you with every fiber of his being.

"Fucking hell, man," Jensen mumbled, right next to Cougar's ear, his voice trembling.

Cougar's heart would probably have cracked at the sound, had it not been too busy beating double-time as he wrapped his arms around Jensen and hugged him in return. Cougar had forgotten just how much he loved Jensen's hugs, and he couldn't help closing his eyes to revel in the feeling.

He swallowed thickly when Jensen buried his face against Cougar's neck. By God, it felt just like before. Like nothing had changed. Like they were still best friends — inseparable and unbreakable.

Cougar could barely breathe for how relieved and out of balance he felt.

When Jensen eventually pulled back — probably long after what was considered socially appropriate in a public environment — his eyes were glassy, but his smile was just as wide, clashing somewhat with the way his eyelashes glistened from unshed tears. Not that Jensen seemed to care.

"Shit. Just— wow. Hi." Jensen looked thrilled, but was clearly not entirely sure how to react. Despite being years older the energetic, bouncing spark in him obviously hadn't died entirely, but it was at least at a more manageable level. He looked so _happy_ that Cougar's heart ached from fondness. "Oh man, this is so awesome! Just look at you! I've never seen your hair this long."

Jensen reached out and pulled the ponytail over Cougar's shoulder, giving it a gentle tug. He didn't let go immediately, though, looking both delighted and a tiny bit dazed. Jensen seemed to have forgotten that he was at work and that there was a confused-looking woman standing a couple of feet away. Cougar was selfish enough to ignore her in favor of soaking in the attention.

Like usual, they were standing almost unnecessarily close — a habit which obviously hadn't gone away even after nine years apart. To be honest, that threw Cougar slightly off balance, since he had gotten used to not having people inside his personal space — Jensen had been the only one to challenge that on a daily basis. Even so, it didn't feel odd to let him back in.

Having Jensen close caused a warm hum in Cougar's chest, which in turn made it terribly difficult to focus.

"And you have a beard," Cougar countered, reaching up without thinking, his thumb running along Jensen's jaw. Cougar had to hold back a shiver. The feel of Jensen's beard under his fingertips was a whole lot more tempting than it probably should have been.

Jensen grinned before bending down to pick up Cougar's hat, which had fallen off without him noticing.

Huh.

That said a thing or two about how distracting Jensen was.

"Yeah, it's easier this way. But I'm glad to see that some things haven't changed," Jensen said when he straightened, lifting the hat a bit higher to show what he was referring to. Instead of handing the hat over he placed it on Cougar's head himself, smiling as he tweaked and nudged it into the proper position. "Although don't think I can't tell that it's a different hat than last time."

Of course Jensen could tell. He was a lot more perceptive than most people believed and gave him credit for — doubly so when it involved Cougar. Jensen probably knew more about Cougar than any other living being, including Cougar's own family. Cougar loved them all dearly, but not even his mother knew him the way Jensen knew him.

And that was why Cougar smiled, feeling lightheaded and indescribably happy. How could he have waited so long without seeing Jensen? Sometimes — like now — it amazed him that he even remembered how to function properly without Jensen somewhere in his immediate vicinity.

Jensen grounded him. He was solid and real — also talkative and explosively impulsive, yes, but a lot of that seemed to have calmed over the years. The Jensen Cougar looked at now was still happy, bright, and brilliant, but that core — the strong, unyielding steel core he'd always had — was more visible.

Jensen seemed to have settled into his own skin.

Not that he had been uncomfortable before, but it showed just how much difference a couple of years could do, when the mind and body didn't quite match up. It made it all the more obvious when they finally did — like now. Jensen didn't seem like a muscled, overgrown child with the attention span of a gerbil — Roque's words, not Cougar's — but a confident, dependable adult. If a bit mischievous one.

He looked like he was finally embracing his potential and putting it to good use. Everything about him — his impressive height, muscles, handsome face, and that sharp, bright spark of intelligence in his eyes — only made him more breathtaking.

He was, quite frankly, more irresistible than ever before.

That was just unfair, Cougar decided, because this wasn't what he had prepared himself to be facing. The Jensen he remembered — fondly, of course — was very rarely serious enough to give Cougar the kind of smile this Jensen did. It was heart-stoppingly sincere, only made worse because Jensen seemed to know exactly how good he looked, but without actually bragging about it.

"So, what brings you to town, Cougs?" The question might have seemed casual, but the tone was soft and intimate — as if Jensen just wanted to hear the words said out loud, even if he already knew the answer.

He probably did, because no one knew Cougar like Jensen knew Cougar.

So he smiled, surrendering without a fight.

"You."

Jensen let out a breath, close to a sigh, before his smile grew stronger. But it wasn't the hyperactive, half-distracted smile from years earlier. Oh no, this one was focused and intense in a way that Cougar was only barely equipped to handle.

Jensen still wasn't backing away, but another employee had arrived to aid the poor, deserted woman wanting help with her purchases. Cougar wasn't entirely sure if he was supposed to feel proud over distracting Jensen from his work, but it was incredibly gratifying to know that Jensen was still prepared to drop everything for him.

Cougar was sure Jensen would forgive him, judging by the pleased look on his face.

"Awesome. I'll talk to the others and see if I can't slip out a couple of hours early."

It was very flattering indeed, to be placed at the top of someone's list of priorities.

"You're staying at a hotel in town, right? Checked in already?" Cougar nodded, having to fight his reflex to follow when Jensen took a step back. Jensen's delighted grin said that he might have noticed, but refrained from teasing Cougar about it. "I'll be back in a sec, okay? Just wait here."

Jensen seemed just as reluctant to leave as Cougar was to see him go. Jensen's steps were lingering, maybe even outright hesitant. There was comfort in knowing that Cougar wasn't the only one who felt like moving out of each other's sight might be a bad idea.

Both seemed to fear that this might just be a dream.

"I'll be here," Cougar replied, as reassuring as he knew how.

Jensen nodded, still smiling, before he took off jogging towards what Cougar assumed was the staff room. The young woman who had jumped in to help the bewildered customer gave Cougar a curious look, but he ignored her. He wasn't sure what Jensen had told these people — even what name he went by — so it was better not to talk to them and risk blowing Jensen's cover. All of them lived more or less fake lives at that point.

Cougar couldn't _quite_ keep himself from smiling, though, feeling lighter at heart than he had in years. And, once again, had to ask himself when he had become such a coward that he hadn't dared to visit Jensen before this.

He had no good answer, but at least he had the opportunity to fix that now — and he was damned well going to take the chance.

 

* * *

 

Jensen lived in a nice, big house in a quiet neighborhood that Cougar had had described to him in numerous emails, but never actually seen before. The entire block was pretty much picture perfect and looked about as far from what one would expect out of Jensen as possible, which in some weird way might actually fit him perfectly, however contradictory _that_ was.

Jensen wasn't one to succumb to stereotypes in any aspect of his life, so while his personality was still loud and energetic — thriving in the noisy, crowded heart of a city — he could clearly see the benefits of a proper house in the suburbs. A part of it, Cougar knew, was so that Jess and Beth could come over and visit without having to risk getting mugged.

Also, let it never be said that Jensen didn't like to spoil himself. The sheer amount of t-shirts the man owned and the insane cost of his electronics said quite a lot about what he considered necessary spending.

The house was nice and homey rather than extravagant, especially considering the amount of money Cougar knew Jensen had at his disposal. Jensen's home wasn't all that tidy, either, mainly because of his uniquely messy way of living, which involved a lot more technological gadgets than most found reasonable — but a surprisingly organized wardrobe and a big, well-stocked kitchen.

Cougar loved it.

He was grateful that Jess had helped decorate, though, since he was fairly certain that most things would have clashed otherwise. Jensen might be more interested in interior decorating than Jess was — as he had shown in his emails — but she had a better sense of colors and harmony than her brother, and Cougar appreciated how she must have held him back on several occasions.

The house was beautiful, and the interior — with its heavy, durable furniture, wide array of colors, and geeky paraphernalia — felt so much like Jensen's very essence that it was almost uncanny. Cougar had to push down the feeling of _home_ that settled over him as he was shown through the various rooms. This place, permeated by Jensen's presence in every tiny figurine and stray cable, felt more like home than Cougar's own apartment.

No matter how hard he tried to deny it, he had never been able to settle down once they drifted apart. Cliché as it might be, Jensen had taken a part of Cougar with him, and it wasn't until now that it could finally slip back into place.

Cougar hadn't felt this sense of belonging in years.

"So, what do you think?" Jensen asked eagerly, spreading his arms to indicate not only the kitchen — where the tour had ended — but the house at large. He didn't look the least bit nervous, leaning comfortably against one of the kitchen counters, his posture loose and confident.

Cougar had quickly noticed that Jensen's customary bounce had been replaced by something that could only be called grace, no matter how unlikely it was for that word to be used in relation to Jensen. The change was far from unpleasant, mostly because Cougar knew it had nothing to do with Jensen losing his enthusiasm or purity, but rather him having found the peace to slow down for once.

Jensen wasn't rushing anymore, trying to reach the finish line as quickly as possible — sometimes forgetting to watch where he was going in his haste to get there. He wasn't in a hurry and had learned to take his time, and probably knew just how devastatingly efficient he could be if he focused all of his attention on one thing at a time, rather than compulsively flicker from one project to another.

Cougar hadn't thought it possible nine years ago, but Jensen had learned to pace himself. That was both terrifying and insanely attractive, because there was no telling what an organized, focused Jensen could accomplish. Possibly world domination, if he felt like it.

Cougar smiled.

"It suits you," he replied, looking at the cabinets and high-tech fridge as he strolled past them. Cougar caught Jensen's gaze, feeling his smile widen when he saw the pouting look on Jensen's face. A man of his age shouldn't pout, but Jensen made it work. Cougar knew exactly why Jensen was sulking, and decided to give him what he wanted. "I like it."

Jensen beamed at him, obviously thrilled that his choice in house and décor pleased Cougar. It took some effort, but Cougar was able to keep that from getting to his head.

Then again, he wasn't sure why he was holding back.

The glances Jensen had kept throwing him as he showed Cougar around the house and the way he gravitated closer without fail, always touching if he could, spoke a rather clear language. Cougar was way too old and far too confident in his own observational skills — not to mention had too much self-confidence in general — not to know what that meant.

Jensen wasn't even trying to hide it. Fact was, barring kissing him or holding Cougar's hand, Jensen acted as if they were a couple already.

Maybe they were — or maybe they were just tired of pretending that they weren't.

If not even nine years of separation could diminish how badly they wanted each other, or keep them from inevitably finding their way into the other's personal space, then Cougar wasn't sure what would.

So yeah, maybe they were a couple already, in every sense but an official one.

There was no doubt about where all of this was heading, and they both knew it. There was no need for cautious inquiries about intentions and feelings, because after nine years of wondering, hoping, and regretting, they had both reached the same conclusion.

The question was just how this would play out.

As was most often the case, Jensen took the first step, reaching out to run his fingers along Cougar's arm when he came close enough. Cougar stopped automatically, both to better appreciate the touch — hindered by clothes as it might be — but also because he knew that Jensen wanted him to. Cougar turned to face him, his heart skipping a beat when Jensen pushed off from the counter and straightened. They were standing so close that Cougar could count Jensen's eyelashes.

Jensen's smile was soft and surprisingly patient — another word Cougar had never thought that he would associate with Jensen — and there was no mistaking the growing intensity in his eyes. Jensen looked like a man on a mission.

"You loved me, didn't you? Way back, when we were chasing after Max."

That wasn't much of a question, and even if it had been, they both knew the answer.

Years ago, those words would never have been uttered, and even if they had been, Cougar might not have answered them truthfully, either due to hesitance or fear. Not because he didn't love Jensen — he did and probably always would — but because telling the truth would have demanded too much out of him at the time. He hadn't had the confidence and knowledge he did now. He hadn't known what a life without Jensen looked like, or just how much one could regret not kissing someone.

Suddenly, Cougar realized that maybe there was a reason for them having gone their separate ways nine years ago. Perhaps he hadn't been ready for whatever it was that lay between them, because words that had seemed so frightening and difficult to speak back then now came as easily as breathing.

"I still do."

He didn't need to ask in what capacity Jensen meant love. He didn't need to question himself or Jensen's intentions. He could tell, as easily as he could read his own heart, that this was it. Now was the time to put all the cards on the table.

As many years as they might have missed out on due to their indecisiveness, maybe it was better that this hadn't happened earlier. Being separated had been excruciating at times, but Cougar would rather choose that over how much they might have hurt each other if they had tried this when they weren't ready.

There was a time for everything, and nine years ago hadn't been it.

Besides, it wasn't like they had lost each other entirely since then. They were still important to each other — still connected, in as many ways as possible. At the very core of their beings, Cougar knew that they were.

Jensen had never stopped being the One — Cougar had just forgotten what it felt like when he looked at him. Years of isolation had made him forget about the feeling of belonging and home. How they fit together and how every single word Jensen spoke seemed to resonate within Cougar. He had thought it a romantic notion, blown out of proportion by his own eagerness to find a purpose.

In reality, he hadn't aimed nearly high enough.

Nothing could describe this. Nothing could describe what he had with Jensen. How Jensen didn't even have to say the words out loud — all he had to do was smile. Cougar still knew. He knew that Jensen loved him back and that everything was finally falling into place, one perfect piece at a time.

Cougar reached up and ran his finger along Jensen's jaw, feeling the beard tickle against his fingertips.

"I like your beard." Cougar met Jensen's gaze, a smile spreading on his lips. "You should keep it."

Jensen chuckled before moving closer. Cougar took a deep breath of Jensen's scent, relearning it — just like all the other things he was desperately eager to relive again. Jensen's voice. His laugh. His smile. The warmth growing in his chest when Jensen reached out in turn, twirling Cougar's ponytail around his fingers.

"If you keep the hair."

Cougar couldn't help grinning, and as natural as breathing leaned in to place a chaste kiss on Jensen's lips. The touch of lips didn't spark any roaring passion — not yet, at least — but was all the more precious for it. The kiss was perfect just the way it was. There were no demands or high expectations. No hesitation or second guessing.

It just was — and every tiny bit of it was absolutely perfect.

Jensen was smiling when Cougar pulled back.

"Deal," Cougar mumbled, lips brushing against Jensen's as he spoke, making both of them shiver.

Jensen sucked in a breath before gently tugging on Cougar's hair, which he still had twisted around his fingers.

"How about I be a proper host and offer you some coffee or something, and then drive us to your hotel so you can get your bags, check out, and sleep here instead?"

Cougar grinned, his hands settling on Jensen's hips — it was quite intoxicating to feel Jensen's strength against his palms. They might be older but both of them had still kept in shape, possibly due to pure habit.

"Hotel first, coffee later." He leaned in, Jensen's beard scratching ever so softly against Cougar's lips when he let them wander along Jensen's cheek. He stopped when he reached Jensen's ear. "Much later."

Jensen hummed, both in agreement and amusement.

"I like the way you think," he purred. Cougar let out a soft laugh.

One could argue that another hour or so wasn't much when they had already waited nine years, but that was the thing — Cougar didn't want to wait another second. His urgency wasn't due to impatience, but because he desperately wanted Jensen to know how much he loved him. Once they got back from fetching Cougar's things, he was going to do his very best to explain that — with whatever means necessary.

Cougar caught one of Jensen's hands, lacing their fingers together and tugging him towards the front door. He knew that while Jensen had obviously become rather dependable over the past nine years, he would probably never grow out of needing reminders to focus on the boring things every once in a while.

The disappointed look on Jensen's face confirmed as much, but he followed obediently, soon catching up and wrapping his free arm around Cougar's back. The position made walking difficult, but the closeness made up for it. Jensen steered them towards the foyer, Cougar trusting that Jensen wouldn't let him back into a doorframe.

"You _do_ realize I'm going to ask you to move in with me as soon as we get back, right?" Jensen said, his eyes bright and teasing.

"I figured." Cougar's smile was amused, mostly because of Jensen's expression. He looked happy, in that innocent, excited way that always made him seem so incredibly sincere.

"Also, gay marriage is totally legal. Just a heads up."

Cougar snorted on a laugh. Had this been anyone else than Jensen he would probably have felt both panicked and insulted, since Cougar was clearly expected to say yes. He hadn't planned to be proposed to — however unofficially — when he woke up earlier that morning, and Jensen was making rather significant leaps without pause in between.

Then again, it was comforting to know that some things never changed.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied dutifully, but didn't answer either of the two questions Jensen had sprung on him.

Jensen clearly noticed, but didn't seem the least bit deterred. If anything, his grin just grew wider. Cougar might not have said yes, but they both knew that he wouldn't have to debate the decisions for very long.

He had spent nine years regretting not taking the chance when he had it, and he wasn't going to spend the coming nine years doing it all over again.

So yeah, maybe Jensen had a reason to grin, because there was no risk whatsoever that Cougar would say no. But he could at least wait until they had fetched his bags from his hotel — maybe even until after Jensen had fixed him that coffee he had promised.

Cougar wasn't betting on it.

After nine years he was sick of waiting, hoping, and regretting past decisions — it was finally time to act. Moving into a new house and getting married seemed like a good place to start.

Cougar couldn't wait.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [CarpeDentum](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CarpeDentum) — a.k.a. my awesome fiancée — did the betaing and the original post on Tumblr can be found [HERE](http://amethystinawrites.tumblr.com/post/110463217412/theres-a-time-for-everything)
> 
> I have a couple of these Losers one shots lying around, and I'm going to make an effort to upload them these coming months. So expect more soon! <3


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